Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Affordable Art Fair 2014, Singapore

This November is definitely an art galore for me. With so many art events going on, it's almost impossible to find out which art piece to pick! I am honoured to be at Affordable Art Fair this year. It is a yearly event where globally, over 1.4 million people have visited an Affordable Art Fair, buying over US$316 million worth of art. This month marks its fifth edition in Singapore

I am looking for a really great piece of art for myself and it was not an easy feat. See, the thing about me, I resemble my dad a lot. I like things that are one-of-a-kind and customized where possible.

When we talk about art, it is something that we find it very personal, something that resonates with our personality, mindset and attitude. Which is why, art just like beauty, lies in the eyes of beholder. it has to touch our soul!

I'm not judging anyone who buys mass produced art off the racks - because some of us just happen to share the same taste. Shhh, my house has truckloads of IKEA furnitures. We still love them because they are so simple - easy for us to personalize it and call it our own! Here's what to expect if you are going to Affordable Art Fair.

Among high-profile artists on show from all over the world were, third-generation Singaporean Hong Sek Chern (Singapore) from Artcommune Gallery of Singapore, popular for her unconventional landscapes and urbanscapes in traditional Chinese ink, Ernest Zacharevic (Lithuania) who has transformed the streets of Penang with a series of interactive murals, at first-time exhibitor Art Square Gallery of Malaysia, as well as works by David Spiller, an artist who combines the punchy aesthetics of Pop Art with his own brand of expressionism into beautiful screenprints, at returning UK gallery, TAG Fine Arts.

While art scene in Singapore may not be as vibrant and avant-garde as the likes in France or Iceland, it is definitely a great stepping stone to being equals because Affordable Art Fair was huge! Go figure the stretch of building we had to walk through. Nevertheless, like IKEA, people don't feel that tired because there's food and drinks for sale along the way, and the art hanging around will definitely distract you from the long walk.

To top it all, with an emphasis on displaying clear information and prices, so that there are no surprises, Affordable Art Fair offers a wrapping service on site, so that artwork can be taken home on the spot too.

Anyway, I entered at 6pm thinking I'd leave by 8pm.

The fair took three levels of the Singapore F1 Paddock - the entire building was filled with art from all over the continent. Affordable Art Fair was crazy with amazing paintings, sculptures, and other forms of art like vase and metals carvings. Massive!

I left the building at 10pm. So much for a quick runthrough!

I must say it is interesting to find out how Singaporeans actually quite appreciate art judging from the traffic they had! About 18,000 people attended that event throughout the fair.